Nowadays, bowling has gained rapid popularity both nationwide and worldwide. To date, there are approximately 140 million bowlers worldwide. In addition, bowling will be made a competitive event in the 1992 Olympic Games.
Along with the increased popularity of bowling came improvements. Bowling alley surfaces as well as bowling balls have undergone change and improvement. For example bowlers have traditionally used bowling balls with a hard rubber-coated surface. Many bowlers, however, have started bowling with balls covered with a urethane plastic material because many of the newer bowling lane surfaces are covered with a plastic material. These changes in both the bowling balls coverings and the alley surfaces have resulted in a game where the spin and curve of the bowling ball has increased, thus, causing the ball to hit the pins with greater force and a preferred angle.
The above-mentioned changes in the game of bowling have caused many bowlers to need and use more than one bowling ball in order to adapt to the different lane conditions. Some bowlers find it necessary to even use three or more bowling balls as a result of changing lane conditions.
A number of bowlers carry two or more bowling balls; one for attempting strikes and one for attempting spares. Bowlers may also use different bowling balls depending on if he or she desires two different grips.
It has often been a problem for bowlers who bowl with more than one bowling ball to carry and transport the balls to and from bowling alleys especially since each bowling ball weighs approximately sixteen pounds a piece. In addition, many bowlers who possess bowling accessories and equipment such as shoes, socks, towels, bowling gloves, powder and the like, also must carry these items to and from the alleys.
Traditionally, bowlers have used the standard soft flexible bag case with a pair of handles for storing their bowling ball and shoes. Alternatively, bowlers have also used a bowling case comprising a pair of hinged rigid or semi-rigid half shells having a latch to encase the bowling ball and securing the shells.
These bags and cases are sufficient to carry only one ball and a pair of shoes, which would usually get squashed inside the bag or case.
Other bowling ball carriers set forth in the prior art comprise wheeled carriers similar to certain golf carts.
Certain bowling ball carriers of this type have been set forth in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,066,156, 4,166,530 and 4,220,343.
Even though some of the prior art devices have provided a means for carrying and housing more than one bowling ball along with a bowler's equipments no one device has provided a carrier where the bowler has easy access for retrieving and storing bowling balls, and/or a compartment for storing a bowler's equipment all integrally molded into one easy-to-use transportable unit.
For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,066,156 a bowler must open the lid to the top equipment storage compartment and pull a strap resting underneath each housed bowling ball, in order for the ball to roll forward onto its resting place, before gaining access to the ball. In U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,166,530 and 4,220,343 a bowler gains access to each bowling ball by rotating the cover of each storage case until the front surface is fully opened. The problem with this arrangement is that the balls remain inside their respective compartments. To gain access to his or her bowling balls, the bowler must insert his or her fingers inside the holes of the ball within the narrow confines of the housing in order to grab and remove the ball. It is well known that a bowler should never pick up a ball with his or her fingers, unless he or she is throwing the ball down the alley, because one may strain and damage his or her fingers. In addition, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,166,530 and 4,220,343 show constructions involving a series of housings or compartments which may be stacked one on top of another instead of being integrally molded together to form a single assembly.